Living With Chimpanzees

It’s horrible to contemplate the news of a chimpanzee in a Connecticut home who, on Monday, mauled one person to death and left another in critical condition. But there’s a remarkable documentary, released more than a decade ago, which made clear how hazardous a choice it is to have a chimpanzee at home. “Living With Chimpanzees: Portrait of a Family,” by the New York-based filmmaker Flavia Fontes, shows that the animals, which seem to resemble humans in many ways, are unpredictable and, unlike human babies, very, very strong. After seeing it (I saw it in a private screening—the filmmaker is a friend of mine), I lost any glimmer of temptation I might ever have had to augment my household with a primate. For people who’ve seen this movie, the events in Connecticut are a tragedy foretold.

Update: It turns out, the chimpanzee killed no one; it severely mauled one woman, Charla Nash, who lost her eyes, nose, and jaw in the attack, but survived. She underwent surgery yesterday and remains in critical condition.

Sign up to get the best of The New Yorker delivered to your inbox every day